Micropelt raises funds to expand energy harvest work

Micropelt raises funds to expand energy harvest work

LONDON – Thermoelectric cooling and energy harvest company Micropelt GmbH (Frieburg, Germany) has raised 6.5 million euro (about $8.5 million) to drive global expansion.

In June 2011 the company opened thin-film thermoelectric production facility in Halle, Germany, and since then the company has been striving to garner orders, increase production volumes and reduce unit costs. Micropelt was founded in 2006.

The recent funds include a 5 million euro investment by Ludgate Environmental Fund, a 1 million euro investment from Mitsubishi UFJ Capital 500,000 euro from the existing shareholders.

Micropelt's energy harvesting technology is based on the Peltier effect and early applications include radiator valve status monitoring and control, industrial automation and remote monitors that assess the condition of technical equipment.

"Eliminating the disposal and maintenance of batteries is important and the Micropelt solution has application across a wide number of industrial sectors," said Bill Weil, chief investment officer at Ludgate Investments Ltd., in a statement issued by Micropelt.

As part of the company's global expansion and commercialization of its technology, Micropelt recently agreed distribution relationships with Arrow in Europe, Tokyo Electronic Device and Hitachi High-Tech Materials Corporation in Japan.


Related links and articles:

www.micropelt.com

News articles:

Arrow to deliver Micropelt’s thermoharvesting power module

Wireless sensors push smart machines into Green revolution

Vibration harvesters designed to replace AA, AAA batteries


TAG:Peltier effect energy harvesting Micropelt Ludgate Peltier semiconductor

Spreadtrum profit squeezed but outlook lifts

Spreadtrum profit squeezed but outlook lifts

LONDON – Fabless chip company Spreadtrum Communications Inc. (Shanghai, China) has reported that its sales revenue for the first quarter of 2012 was $161.1 million, down 16.2 percent sequentially but up 17.5 percent from the same quarter a year before.

The company made net income of GAAP net income of $24.3 million, compared with $35.2 million in the previous quarter and $27.5 million in 1Q11.

"During the first quarter, we laid a strong foundation for 2012 growth in smartphones with more than 200 design wins for our 1-GHz TD-SCDMA and 1-GHz EDGE/Wi-Fi smartphone chipsets. Our smartphone platform is now commercially available and we expect to ship more than one million units in the second quarter," said Leo Li, chairman and CEO of Spreadtrum, in a statement.

The company expects 2Q12 revenue to be between $170 million and $175 million, a sequential and year-over-year increase of 6 to 9 percent.

One reason for the decline in profit was declining ASPs for chipsets amid increasing competition. However, Spreadtrum said it has secured more than twenty-five additional premium smartphone design wins for its TD-SCDMA baseband modems, mostly with first tier customers in China.

In the first quarter, Spreadtrum made a $10 million equity investment in handset brand Micromax, which is the third largest handset brand in India.


Related links and articles:

www.spreadtrum.com

News articles:

Spreadtrum, Dialog, MegaChips shine in fabless rankings

Spreadtrum releases platforms for $40 smartphones

Why ST should sell ST-Ericsson to China

TAG:Spreadtrum mobile TD SCDMA 3G 4G semiconductor

Hanking starts building Chinese MEMS wafer fab

Hanking starts building Chinese MEMS wafer fab

LONDON – Hanking Group (Shenyang, China), a mining and metal processing conglomerate in the north-east of China, has begun building what could become a major wafer fab for the manufacture of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS).

Hanking is looking to make inertial sensors and silicon membrane microphones which are all in high demand in China, but has also talked about tire pressure monitor sensors and microfluidic MEMS for medical applications. China currently imports almost all the MEMS devices used in the high volumes of electronic equipment made in the country. The company should be able to find ready buyers at Chinese system makers for the components which would be lower cost than imported MEMS due to an absence of duties and lower labor costs.

The group has created a wholly-owned subsidiary, Hanking Electronics Co. Ltd., as the means to achieve its goal and recruited MEMS industry veteran Doug Sparks as executive vice president to help execute the plan. Sparks reports to Lucy Huang, president and CEO.

Construction of the wafer fab started in March 2012 in Fushun about 40 miles east of Shenyang. The buildings will sit in the Hanking MEMS Industrial Park (HMIP) which occupies about 160 acres in Fushun Economic Development Zone and for which the roads were laid out during the 2011 construction season, Sparks said.

Hanking has committed to spend 3 billion yuan (about $475 million) on three phases of development there. Although Sparks is looking to install 200-mm equipment initially, the building is being made "compatible with 300-mm wafer production," he said. The transition to 300-mm wafer processing for MEMS, something not yet done by any manufacturers in the MEMS sector, would come in a few years, Sparks predicted.

The first phase of the MEMS wafer fab will be capable of producing about 4,000 200-mm wafer starts per month in 2014, Sparks said. "We'll have the back-end processing – things like electroplating and bulk etch going by 2013 – It may be another year before we have everything running," he said.

But Sparks is not too concerned about delays. Hanking is into MEMS for the long haul and has money to spend, he said. China Hanking Holdings Ltd., one of the affiliates of the Hanking Group, was admitted to the Hong Kong stock exchange in September 2011 and declared a net profit of 670.6 million yuan (about $106 million) on sales revenue of 1.45 billion yuan (about $230 million) for 2011. However, Sparks said total group annual revenue is about $550 million.
Next: Foundry first, then IDM, meanwhile MUMPS?
TAG:wafer fab Hanking mining metal MEMS China inertial microphone

翡翠市场有四大杀手

翡翠市场有四大杀手

　　一直以来,翡翠市场都潜伏着“四大杀手”.所谓的“四大杀手”是指“水沫子”(钠长石玉)、“不倒翁”、“昆究”和“沫之渍”,这4种玉在肉眼观察下,虽和翡翠有着相似的面孔,但玉德和玉性都与高贵的翡翠有着天壤之别,在翡翠贸易行业中从不被认为是翡翠, 并且价值远低于翡翠.

　　“水沫子”是钠长石玉、硬钠玉,产于翡翠矿床的外围,其外观酷似冰底或冰底或冰底飘花的翡翠,但不是翡翠.

　　“不倒翁”为缅语的音译,因这种绿色的玉石产于缅甸北部地名为“葡萄”的地方,语音近似“不倒翁”.“不倒翁”成分有水钙铝榴石、玉髓或者蛋白石,但都不能称之为翡翠.

　　“昆究”也是缅语的汉语音译名称,透明至半透明,颜色灰蓝或蓝灰色,呈条带状、带状产出.这种矿石外观看似水石,多呈灰绿色,水头好,剖开时则显示青色的条带花纹,含较多的杂质.“昆究”被一些学者称为“软玉”,其市场价值远低于翡翠.

　　“沫之渍”在云南瑞丽、腾冲市场上比较常见,它的矿物组成和结构与翡翠差不多.实际上是翡翠的一个特殊品种,传统的珠宝商界称其为干青种翡翠.“沫之渍”最突出的外观特征是颜色呈暗绿色、水头较差,很多是有色无水.但也有优质的“沫之渍”水头较好,当被制成很薄的戒面、耳片一类饰品时,颜色绿的浓艳,人们称之为“广片”,有较高的观赏价值和商业价值,当然,大多数的“沫之渍”水头很干,卖价也很低.

来源:新浪收藏
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TAG:翡翠市场有四大杀手 翡翠 翡翠手镯 feicui 翡翠观音 jade 七彩云南 云南翡翠 缅甸翡翠 瑞丽翡翠

首届和田玉翡翠精品展出(图)

首届和田玉翡翠精品展出(图)

图片资料 图片资料 图片资料 图片资料

　　《首届和田玉、翡翠精品大联展》

　　——玉·茶传香

　　和田玉、翡翠亮相马连道中国茶叶第一街

　　新浪收藏讯 由全国工商业联合会古玩商会、北京文化发展基金会、新疆文物商店联合主办的《首届和田玉、翡翠精品大联展》将于2012年5月1日上午10点在北京音像大厦——北京东方紫荆茶城二层隆重开幕。展览截至5月7日。

　　玉是中华民族的瑰宝，像一颗明珠，在中国历史文化中放射出灿烂的光辉，玉有民族传统的内涵，在中国历代政治、文化、道德、宗教等方面起着特殊的作用。“君子比德于玉”，赋予玉九德之称，使玉成为：仁、智、礼、义、信、乐、忠、德、道等社会道德象征。我们展玉是为在当今中国改革开放经济振兴的大潮中，以玉的纯洁、友谊示人，以玉的祥和、温润、和平警人，让人们在和谐的社会中，歌颂美丽的自然。

　　将玉文化注入人类社会，使“通灵宝玉”把人类的物质财富和精神财富有机结合，以塑造人类之规范的社会、和平的世界。

　　和田玉目前有两个著名的产源：一、从于田县向南，进入昆仑山脉，乃为著名的阿拉斯矿区，最著名的和田玉山料即产于此。二、由和田市往南，沿白玉河溯源而上，盛产籽儿玉，是山流水的源头，中国古籍把昆仑山称为“群玉之山” ——“万山之祖”。《千字文》记载“金身丽水，玉生昆仑”。和田玉按产地不同可分为：籽料、山流水、山料三种类型。此展让玉之爱好者，大饱眼福。伴随此次玉展的同时，还有著名书法家现场挥毫咏玉，以享书法爱好者。

　　此次玉展的支持单位为：北京市西城区广外街道办事处、北京音像大厦楼宇。承办单位为：北京东方紫荆茶城、北京海天润德文化发展有限责任公司。

TAG:首届和田玉翡翠精品展出(图)

Designer Handbags Reach Record High Average $2,000 Fall 2005 Fashion Designer

Designer Handbags Reach Record High Average ,000 Fall 2005 By
Anna Miller, http://eFashionHouse.com

Shopping in Beverly Hills last week I strolled Wilshire
Boulevard popping in and out of fancy stores sizing up all the
new designer handbags. There are a number of new looks for Fall
2005, and prices have a new look, too. Did you know designer
handbags have become the staple in most wardrobes? It doesn?t
take a genius to buy a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, but to
buy the correct designer handbag to pull it all together
has turn out to be really an art.

In conversations with many handbag salespeople, it was obvious
the upcoming season will supply a variety of wild colors, exotic
leathers, and metallic finished leathers. They will appear in
shoulder styles, clutches, slings and large totes. Most designer
bags stay consistent in size and function. The variations from
season to season come to color, hardware, texture and price.

Costs are a challenging topic for handbag lovers to talk about, it
became the purpose of the Beverly Hills shopping trip. Which
designers will rise to the top? Which handbags will have the
highest cost tags? These thoughts offered astonishing
observations wondering via the high-end boutiques and
department stores.

Doing a bit of mental gymnastics with a few designer handbag
price tags, it became obvious a calculator was required! Costs
are competing with Los Angeles mortgage payments! One designer
bag, constructed of scratch resistant, pebble grain calf
leather, had a hefty 00.00 cost tag. Durability to last a
life time is a key characteristic of a quality handbag, but
let?s get real here, ladies alter handbags as often as they
alter their nail polish. Paying hefty costs for a designer
handbag a few times each month is fashionable, but not healthy
or wise.

Not mentioning any names, a lengthy conversation with a handbag
specialist in a quite nicely-identified department store shed light on
the day?s mission. We strolled the designer handbag department
with calculator in hand. Punching in numbers of our favorite
high-end designer, we came up with a hefty five-figure total for
10 handbags. Then, with jaws dropped open, the average cost was
uncovered! As expected, small was left to shock and surprise.
Based on a sampling of the designer handbag prices, the price
for a brand new, high-end designer handbag this season averages
an all-time high of 00.00 USD.

Oh my! What a price we pay to pull it all together ? that pair
of denim jeans and T-shirt! We have grow to be the hunters in search
of the greatest designer handbag we can uncover. And, when we know it
will coordinate with a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, then we know
we?ve selected the finest bag. We want to look good, and we want
to feel excellent, too. It would be nice to know we can buy a
bag from a new designer and still make a mortgage payment this
very same month.

Here?s a answer. For those of us who know style and don?t want
to compromise high quality, uncover a designer handbag expert to coach
and guide your investments. Lacking modesty, I?ll volunteer
recommendations on a selection of designer handbags offered at a
fraction of what you?d expect to pay in a retail store.

You can really acquire several handbags for the average price
of 1 designer handbag if you shop wisely. If you are a true
designer handbag addict, and you buy a new handbag whenever
you get the urge, then you need a dependable source. Shop
cautiously at websites specializing in designer handbags, and you will
locate your favorite designers at as considerably as 50% less than the
average cost on Rodeo Drive

Designer Handbags Reach Record High Average $2,000 Fall 2005 Fashion Designer

TAG:

Elon Musk and testing as if your life depended on it

Elon Musk and testing as if your life depended on it

WASHINGTON – A panel of entrepreneurs was asked during a recent technology panel whether they learned more from failure or success?

Two panelists were unequivocal, emphasizing that failure was the best teacher. The third, space entrepreneur, Tesla co-founder and PayPal originator Elon Musk, said he sees it differently. Success is the greatest teacher, asserted Musk, explaining that success allows the risk taker to “find the needle in the haystack.”

As head of the only commercial space company, Space Exploration Technologies Corp., or SpaceX, to send a spacecraft into orbit and return it to Earth in one piece, Musk can afford to be a bit cocky. The next challenge will be sending his Dragon spacecraft into orbit to dock with the International Space Station. The launch aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket has been delayed several times, and is currently scheduled for May 7.


The successful Elon Musk says failure is overrated.

TAG:Elon Musk Manned Spaceflight SpaceX Testing Space Musk

Exeter researchers come up with possible ITO replacement

Exeter researchers come up with possible ITO replacement

MANHASSET, NY--A research team from the University of Exeter has placed its stamp on its unique version of a transparent, lightweight, and flexible graphene material.

To create what they call GraphExeter, the Exeter team sandwiched molecules of ferric chloride between two layers of graphene. Ferric chloride enhances the electrical conductivity of graphene, without affecting the material’s transparency.

GraphExeter is said to be much more flexible than indium tin oxide, the main conductive material currently used in electronics. Industry observers predict that the increasingly expensive ITO is expected to run out in 2017.

The researchers claim that today there is no viable alternative to ITO.

The researchers who work at the University of Exeter’s Centre for Graphene Science are now developing a spray-on version of GraphExeter, which could be applied straight onto fabrics, mirrors, and windows.

“GraphExeter could revolutionize the electronics industry. It outperforms any other carbon-based transparent conductor used in electronics and could be used for a range of applications, from solar panels to ‘smart’ T-shirts,” said lead researcher Monica Craciun, in a statement. The material’s commercial prospects can only be speculated.

The details of the research can be found here.

This story was originally posted by EE Times.
TAG:

Exeter researchers come up with possible ITO replacement

Exeter researchers come up with possible ITO replacement

MANHASSET, NY--A research team from the University of Exeter has placed its stamp on its unique version of a transparent, lightweight, and flexible graphene material.

To create what they call GraphExeter, the Exeter team sandwiched molecules of ferric chloride between two layers of graphene. Ferric chloride enhances the electrical conductivity of graphene, without affecting the material’s transparency.

GraphExeter is said to be much more flexible than indium tin oxide, the main conductive material currently used in electronics. Industry observers predict that the increasingly expensive ITO is expected to run out in 2017.

The researchers claim that today there is no viable alternative to ITO.

The researchers who work at the University of Exeter’s Centre for Graphene Science are now developing a spray-on version of GraphExeter, which could be applied straight onto fabrics, mirrors, and windows.

“GraphExeter could revolutionize the electronics industry. It outperforms any other carbon-based transparent conductor used in electronics and could be used for a range of applications, from solar panels to ‘smart’ T-shirts,” said lead researcher Monica Craciun, in a statement. The material’s commercial prospects can only be speculated.

The details of the research can be found here.

This story was originally posted by EE Times.
TAG:

Struggle continues to plug embedded programming gap

Struggle continues to plug embedded programming gap

WASHINGTON – Growing concerns about the quality of U.S. engineering education are increasingly focusing on specific areas like the shortfall in university computer science courses related to embedded systems programming.

The problem is particularly acute since embedded programming skills are the foundation for developing safe, reliable, mission-critical systems used in everything from medical devices to commercial aircraft.

Critics lay much of the blame for the embedded programming gap at the doorstep of university computer science departments that have tended to migrate curricula toward trendy programming languages like Java at the expense of unglamorous tasks such as how to design and analyze algorithms and data structures. In a recent article examining the embedded gap, Robert Dewar, an emeritus professor at New York University and CEO of software tool vendor Adacore, argued that universities need to rethink the programming languages taught in their introductory computer science courses.

“To be blunt,” Dewar wrote, “adopting Java to replace previous languages used in introductory programming courses – such as Pascal, Ada, C or C++ -- was a step backward pedagogically. Many universities went to Java because ‘that’s where the jobs are,’ but ironically may have produced a generation of programmers with over-specific but superficial skills who are now losing jobs to overseas competition with broader and deeper talents.”

Some embedded programming experts think Dewar understates the severity of the programming gap. Evangelists such as Michael Barr have moved beyond merely highlighting the problem and have sought to fill the widening programming gap with initiative like Barr’s week-long, hands-on Embedded Software Boot Camp. The primary impetus for the boot camp, which focuses on skills like controlling hardware in C or C++ languages and writing more formal device drivers, was Barr’s conclusion that “there’s no good firmware training in [U.S.] universities.”


Michael Barr

TAG:Embedded Software Systems Programming Embedded Software Programming Embedded Programming Michael Barr Programming Languages Java Programming Java C Barr Embedded

Struggle continues to plug embedded programming gap

Struggle continues to plug embedded programming gap

WASHINGTON – Growing concerns about the quality of U.S. engineering education are increasingly focusing on specific areas like the shortfall in university computer science courses related to embedded systems programming.

The problem is particularly acute since embedded programming skills are the foundation for developing safe, reliable, mission-critical systems used in everything from medical devices to commercial aircraft.

Critics lay much of the blame for the embedded programming gap at the doorstep of university computer science departments that have tended to migrate curricula toward trendy programming languages like Java at the expense of unglamorous tasks such as how to design and analyze algorithms and data structures. In a recent article examining the embedded gap, Robert Dewar, an emeritus professor at New York University and CEO of software tool vendor Adacore, argued that universities need to rethink the programming languages taught in their introductory computer science courses.

“To be blunt,” Dewar wrote, “adopting Java to replace previous languages used in introductory programming courses – such as Pascal, Ada, C or C++ -- was a step backward pedagogically. Many universities went to Java because ‘that’s where the jobs are,’ but ironically may have produced a generation of programmers with over-specific but superficial skills who are now losing jobs to overseas competition with broader and deeper talents.”

Some embedded programming experts think Dewar understates the severity of the programming gap. Evangelists such as Michael Barr have moved beyond merely highlighting the problem and have sought to fill the widening programming gap with initiative like Barr’s week-long, hands-on Embedded Software Boot Camp. The primary impetus for the boot camp, which focuses on skills like controlling hardware in C or C++ languages and writing more formal device drivers, was Barr’s conclusion that “there’s no good firmware training in [U.S.] universities.”


Michael Barr

TAG:Embedded Software Systems Programming Embedded Software Programming Embedded Programming Michael Barr Programming Languages Java Programming Java C Barr Embedded

Infineon outlook flat after bright quarter

Infineon outlook flat after bright quarter

LONDON – Infineon Technologies has issued a rather downbeat outlook for the second half of its fiscal year after posting second fiscal quarter sales revenue ahead of forecast at 986 million euro (about $1.29 billion).

The sales revenue for the second fiscal quarter, ended March 31, 2012, was 986 million euro (about $1.29 billion) up 4 percent on the previous quarter but down 1 percent on the same quarter in the previous fiscal year.

Infineon (Munich, Germany) made a net profit of 111 million euro (about $146 million) up 16 percent from the previous quarter but down from the profit of 572 million euro (about $750 million) made a year before.

"Business was better in the second quarter than expected. Three out of four segments increased revenue. Our focus on key challenges for today’s society – energy efficiency, mobility and security – is also proving its worth during difficult economic times," said Peter Bauer, CEO of Infineon Technologies AG, in a statement.

The automotive division which represents nearly half Infineon sales was the strongest sector showing 9 percent sequential growth. Chip card and security sales grew more strongly at 15 percent sequentially. Power management and multimarket components showed modest growth of 2 percent while industrial chip sales declined sequentially by 11 percent.

Infineon said the outlook for the third fiscal quarter (second calendar quarter) was broadly flat and that the outlook for full fiscal year was for a low single-digit percentage decline in sales revenue.


Related links and articles:

Move Infineon to Asia? Who said that?

GlobalFoundries, Infineon, IBM, ST linked to Indian fab plan

Qimonda admin hits Infineon with $2.25 billion demand

Infineon profits trimmed by lower sales

TAG:Peter Bauer Infineon semiconductor automotive industrial security

Slideshow: Long Beach Grand Prix

Slideshow: Long Beach Grand Prix

More than 200,000 spectators lined the downtown streets of Long Beach, Calif., in April as 26 drivers battled for dominance in the 2012 IndyCar circuit.

The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach -- third in this year's IndyCar Series -- drew the biggest names in the sport, including Team Penske, Andretti Autosport, A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Chip Ganassi Racing, and KV Racing Technology, among others. In this year's race, won by driver Will Power of Team Penske, the vehicles averaged 88mph over a 167-mile distance.

And if you've always dreamed of hanging with the pit crew at Indy, your opportunity has arrived. Littelfuse Inc. is sponsoring the Speed2Design contest that enables its winners to attend the race, visit the pits, and talk engineer-to-engineer with crew members.

In the meantime, Design News presents photos of the Long Beach event, courtesy of KV Racing and co-sponsors Littelfuse Inc. and Mouser Electronics. KV's car, driven by Tony Kanaan, finished fourth on the two-mile street circuit, improving 15 positions after starting at 19th.

Click the image below, and start your virtual engines!



TAG:Littelfuse Indy 500 Long Beach Grand Prix

Slideshow: Long Beach Grand Prix

Slideshow: Long Beach Grand Prix

More than 200,000 spectators lined the downtown streets of Long Beach, Calif., in April as 26 drivers battled for dominance in the 2012 IndyCar circuit.

The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach -- third in this year's IndyCar Series -- drew the biggest names in the sport, including Team Penske, Andretti Autosport, A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Chip Ganassi Racing, and KV Racing Technology, among others. In this year's race, won by driver Will Power of Team Penske, the vehicles averaged 88mph over a 167-mile distance.

And if you've always dreamed of hanging with the pit crew at Indy, your opportunity has arrived. Littelfuse Inc. is sponsoring the Speed2Design contest that enables its winners to attend the race, visit the pits, and talk engineer-to-engineer with crew members.

In the meantime, Design News presents photos of the Long Beach event, courtesy of KV Racing and co-sponsors Littelfuse Inc. and Mouser Electronics. KV's car, driven by Tony Kanaan, finished fourth on the two-mile street circuit, improving 15 positions after starting at 19th.

Click the image below, and start your virtual engines!



TAG:Littelfuse Indy 500 Long Beach Grand Prix

TSMC pushes 28-nm Cortex-A9 dual-core to 3.1-GHz

TSMC pushes 28-nm Cortex-A9 dual-core to 3.1-GHz

LONDON – Foundry Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. has announced it has made a dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor test chip in its 28-nm high-performance mobile CMOS process that it has run at a 3.1-GHz clock frequency under typical operating conditions.

TSMC (Hsinchu, Taiwan) said that this achievement demonstrates that the 28-nm HPM process is ready for use in a broad range of mobile, consumer and enterprise applications.

For mobile application signoff conditions the 28HPM process delivers clock frequencies in the range 1.5-GHz to 2.0-GHz, TSMC said. But for high performance requirements it can be run up to 3.1-GHz the company said. This could either for very short term use or where power consumption is less critical because a system is connected to a main supply of electricity.

The 28HPM implementation runs twice as fast as the 40-nm counterpart made by TSMC under the same operating conditions, according to Cliff Hou, vice president of R&D at TSMC.


Related links and articles:

ARM tips availability of 'Seahawk' A15 hard macro

ARM launches processor pack for big-little on TSMC 28-nm

Amlogic offers dual-core Cortex-A9 for consumer SoCs

TAG:TSMC ARM processor core manufacturing test clock frequency mobile

TSMC pushes 28-nm Cortex-A9 dual-core to 3.1-GHz

TSMC pushes 28-nm Cortex-A9 dual-core to 3.1-GHz

LONDON – Foundry Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. has announced it has made a dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor test chip in its 28-nm high-performance mobile CMOS process that it has run at a 3.1-GHz clock frequency under typical operating conditions.

TSMC (Hsinchu, Taiwan) said that this achievement demonstrates that the 28-nm HPM process is ready for use in a broad range of mobile, consumer and enterprise applications.

For mobile application signoff conditions the 28HPM process delivers clock frequencies in the range 1.5-GHz to 2.0-GHz, TSMC said. But for high performance requirements it can be run up to 3.1-GHz the company said. This could either for very short term use or where power consumption is less critical because a system is connected to a main supply of electricity.

The 28HPM implementation runs twice as fast as the 40-nm counterpart made by TSMC under the same operating conditions, according to Cliff Hou, vice president of R&D at TSMC.


Related links and articles:

ARM tips availability of 'Seahawk' A15 hard macro

ARM launches processor pack for big-little on TSMC 28-nm

Amlogic offers dual-core Cortex-A9 for consumer SoCs

TAG:TSMC ARM processor core manufacturing test clock frequency mobile

2.1亿元天价缅甸翡翠雕品现身长沙

2.1亿元天价缅甸翡翠雕品现身长沙

资料图片

　　5月2日，湖南长沙某珠宝玉器市场内，一座标价2.1亿元的翡翠引来众多市民的围观。这座名为“松鹤延年”的翡翠长21厘米、宽18厘米，是原石来自缅甸的翡翠雕品。

　　据该店经理介绍，“松鹤延年”采用了三层镂空雕琢工艺，松之挺俊、鹤之秀逸栩栩呈现，更有如意、小松鼠等点缀其间，这也是该翡翠最大价值所在。

TAG:2 1亿元天价缅甸翡翠雕品现身长沙

《天工国韵》第七届“国石杯”获奖作品集出版发行

《天工国韵》第七届“国石杯”获奖作品集出版发行

　　由新疆珠宝玉石首饰行业协会主编的《天工国韵》第七届“国石杯”获奖作品集，日前正式出版发行。

　　7年来国石杯见证了新疆玉雕人才的茁壮成长，见证了新疆玉雕技艺的恢复、继承、创新，见证了新疆和田玉行业和市场的蓬勃发展的历程。7年来国石杯和田玉玉雕精品展评会共送展作品2795件，其中获玉雕精品作品金奖189件，银奖352件，铜奖515件，优秀作品奖659件。从这些作品中我们欣慰地看到新疆玉雕正在逐步形成自己的风格：“痕都斯坦”的金银错嵌宝石技艺的传承和创新；新的玉雕理论的提出和实践；仿子冈牌的历史创新；体现新疆人文风情的作品；金镶玉古老技艺的再辉煌；反映新疆玉雕包容和吸纳的特性，作品风格既具有北派的大气、端庄，又融入南派的灵秀，同时也蕴藏了西部的粗犷和豪气。我们有信心在不久的将来会看到一个有着鲜明的西域特色的玉雕流派展现在世人面前。

　　为了更好地记录新疆玉雕的发展经历，新疆宝协特编绘国石杯和田玉玉雕精品获奖作品让更多的玉石爱好者欣赏和收藏。

TAG:和田玉 中国和田玉网 业界新闻 《天工国韵》第七届“国石杯”获奖作品集出版发行

Hobo Handbags Generally In Fashion Womens Leather Handbag On Sale

Hobo purses are in style these days and are staying used by every other female. These bags certainly are a bit large in comparison to other handbags, plus they use a slouchy form much too. They are designed up of smooth materials, due to which they can be pretty adaptable and therefore are available in several patterns, measurements and colours. These bags are even well-known among celebrities, and also you will see many famed personalities carrying these purses, and they often glance classy.

If you’re searching for an individual perfect purse, which you’ll be able to use in company and in addition for casual situations, you ought to go for hobo handbags. They are fantastic for informal events and daily routines. The best thing about these handbags is they can be way much too useful, which means you can both glimpse attractive and might carry your whole important things simultaneously.

You may obtain hobo purses in designer labels likewise, and designer purses can be found in pattern and several variations. On the other hand, buying a designer purse is definitely difficult for everyone, because they are rather high-priced. In these types of cases, you can normally opt for replicas on hobo handbags on sale. The best time for you to carry these purses is summers. They’re going to flawlessly match your causal look along with the accessible hues will certainly complement your full attire.

Hobo handbags on sale are quickly accessible inside the market place. Be certain that you check the good quality of these handbags in advance of acquiring, as you really don’t choose to conclusion up with a little something faux. The great issue about obtaining hobo purses on sale is that you may really have to fork out a lot less income to obtain a very good bag. Because the costs are sensible, you’ll be able to always buy a couple of purses for different situations.

You could also have these purses on formal event but certainly, the large types are certainly not suitable for formal situations. You are able to always buy in dark shade and rather little size compared into the other bags, if you would like one thing for a formal event.

You could find different kinds of models, layouts and hues. You must often preserve your whole body variety in mind before picking a purse; in case you are petite, a sizable handbag is not going to glimpse excellent on you. Hobo handbags on sale is often identified and acquired online, and various merchants are presenting extremely very low charges on these handbags.

Designer hobo handbags are definitely extremely popular. You are able to obtain these purses in leather, printed models, causal totes in addition to a ton additional. Simply because with the extensive vary, these purses have become a scorching trend item, and just about every woman desires to use a good selection of such purses, as they look genuinely nice. Additional on to that, carrying points inside of a purse was never ever this easy, and since of its gentle and slouchy glimpse, carrying these purses on shoulders can be quite easy.

Hobo handbags have produced style straightforward and comfy. You may each glance fashionable devoid of much too a lot of energy and can stay cozy with transporting nice purses concurrently.

Hobo Handbags Generally In Fashion Womens Leather Handbag On Sale

TAG:fashion generally handbags

Freescale snags Insight Award for innovative process technology

Freescale snags Insight Award for innovative process technology

SAN FRANCISCO—Technical analysts and consulting firm UBM TechInsights said Wednesday (May 2) that Freescale Semiconductor Inc. was chosen to receive the Most Innovative Process Technology Insight Award for its PK60X256VLQ100 Kinetis ARM Cortex-M4 microcontroller (MCU).

A circuit analysis by UBM TechInsights confirmed the presence of on-chip non-volatile memory made using split-gate thin film storage (SG-TFS) technology, the firm said. UBM TechInsights said it choice of SG-TFS to be innovative for its unique construction. SG-TFS is built with silicon nanocrystals as the storage medium, making this Kinetis MCU the first commercial product to successfully utilize this technology.

"Freescale's achievement was the successful implementation of SG-TFS," said Jason Abt, director of technical intelligence at UBM TechInsights, in a statement. "We were pleasantly surprised when Freescale delivered production samples on schedule, and our initial investigation revealed this microcontroller truly did include on-chip non-volatile memory made with silicon nanocrystals. This technology results in a fast and reliable memory that is compatible with standard CMOS technology."

UBM TechInsights said it has done extensive research and analysis on Freescale's PK60X256VLQ100 ARM-based MCU, including examination of the device at the package and die level with analysis of the process technology, memory cell configuration and material identification.

Introduced more than a decade ago, the Insight Awards remain the first industry-recognized program to celebrate engineering design and innovation at the semiconductor level. Winners are chosen independently from a judging panel consisting of senior analysts and engineers to ensure that devices submitted for consideration are evaluated on the merits of their design and technical achievements, according to UBM TechInsights.

UBM TechInsights, based in Ottawa, Canada, is owned by UBM plc, the same company that owns and publishes EE Times.


Freescale's Kinetis ARM Cortex-M4 microcontroller won the Insight Award for Most Innovative Process Technology. Image is an SEM cross-section at edge of Flash array.
Source: UBM TechInsights

TAG:UBM TechInsights Freescale Semiconductor Insight Awards

earchers come up with possible ITO replacement

earchers come up with possible ITO replacement

MANHASSET, NY -- A research team from the University of Exeter has placed its stamp on its unique version of a transparent, lightweight and flexible graphene material.

To create what they call GraphExeter, the Exeter team sandwiched molecules of ferric chloride between two layers of graphene. Ferric chloride enhances the electrical conductivity of graphene, without affecting the material’s transparency.

GraphExeter is said to be much more flexible than indium tin oxide, the main conductive material currently used in electronics. Industry observers predict that the increasingly expensive ITO is expected to run out in 2017.

The researchers claim that today there is no viable alternative to ITO.

The researchers who work at the University of Exeter’s Centre for Graphene Science are now developing a spray-on version of GraphExeter, which could be applied straight onto fabrics, mirrors and windows.

“GraphExeter could revolutionize the electronics industry. It outperforms any other carbon-based transparent conductor used in electronics and could be used for a range of applications, from solar panels to ‘smart’ T-shirts,” said lead researcher Monica Craciun, in a statement. The material’s commercial prospects can only be speculated.

The details of the research can be found here.
TAG:Researchers Grpahene

earchers come up with possible ITO replacement

earchers come up with possible ITO replacement

MANHASSET, NY -- A research team from the University of Exeter has placed its stamp on its unique version of a transparent, lightweight and flexible graphene material.

To create what they call GraphExeter, the Exeter team sandwiched molecules of ferric chloride between two layers of graphene. Ferric chloride enhances the electrical conductivity of graphene, without affecting the material’s transparency.

GraphExeter is said to be much more flexible than indium tin oxide, the main conductive material currently used in electronics. Industry observers predict that the increasingly expensive ITO is expected to run out in 2017.

The researchers claim that today there is no viable alternative to ITO.

The researchers who work at the University of Exeter’s Centre for Graphene Science are now developing a spray-on version of GraphExeter, which could be applied straight onto fabrics, mirrors and windows.

“GraphExeter could revolutionize the electronics industry. It outperforms any other carbon-based transparent conductor used in electronics and could be used for a range of applications, from solar panels to ‘smart’ T-shirts,” said lead researcher Monica Craciun, in a statement. The material’s commercial prospects can only be speculated.

The details of the research can be found here.
TAG:Researchers Grpahene

Mercury wins sensor processing subsystem contract with Raytheon

Mercury wins sensor processing subsystem contract with Raytheon

PARIS – Mercury Computer Systems (Chelmsford, Massachusetts) said it has concluded a contract with Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems (SAS) to deliver application-ready subsystems and integration services for Raytheon’s Advanced Distributed Aperture System (ADAS).

Raytheon claimed ADAS provides full spherical situational awareness to helicopter crews, allowing safer operation in unfavorable weather and mission environments. High-resolution infrared sensors mounted around the helicopter let pilots look through the airframe for 360-degree situational awareness. Imagery sent to helmet mounted displays provides crew members with information adjusted to their specific roles. The wraparound effect is completed by a 3D audio system that issues threat alerts and crew communications from the direction of their source.



TAG:Mercury Computer Systems Raytheon Sensor Processing Subsystem Contract ADAS

Mercury wins sensor processing subsystem contract with Raytheon

Mercury wins sensor processing subsystem contract with Raytheon

PARIS – Mercury Computer Systems (Chelmsford, Massachusetts) said it has concluded a contract with Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems (SAS) to deliver application-ready subsystems and integration services for Raytheon’s Advanced Distributed Aperture System (ADAS).

Raytheon claimed ADAS provides full spherical situational awareness to helicopter crews, allowing safer operation in unfavorable weather and mission environments. High-resolution infrared sensors mounted around the helicopter let pilots look through the airframe for 360-degree situational awareness. Imagery sent to helmet mounted displays provides crew members with information adjusted to their specific roles. The wraparound effect is completed by a 3D audio system that issues threat alerts and crew communications from the direction of their source.



TAG:Mercury Computer Systems Raytheon Sensor Processing Subsystem Contract ADAS

Photomask market to grow 7% in 2012, SEMI says

Photomask market to grow 7% in 2012, SEMI says

SAN FRANCISCO—The worldwide semiconductor photomask market is expected to be worth $3.35 billion in 2012, up 7 percent from 2011, according to the fab tool vendor trade group SEMI.

At $3.35 billion, the mask market is expected to set a new record high this year for the third consecutive year, SEMI said. The trade group expects the photomask market to grow another 4 percent next year and an additional 3 percent in 2014, SEMI said.

Growth in the semiconductor photomask market is being driven by migration to advanced technology feature sizes (less than 65 nm) and increased manufacturing in Asia-Pacific, SEMI said. Taiwan became the largest photomask regional market, surpassing Japan in 2010, and is expected to remain the largest market for the duration of the forecast, SEMI said.

SEMI said the mask market is becoming increasingly capital intensive. According to SEMI data, 2011 was a record year for mask/reticle making equipment, with sales growing 36 percent year-over-year from the previous record year of 2010 to reach $1.11 billion. As the capital intensiveness of the photomask industry increases, captive mask shops are increasing their market share of the total mask market, now representing 40 percent of the market, up from 30 percent in 2006, SEMI said.



TAG:Photomask SEMI Fab Tool Market

Fairchild asserts new patents against Power Integrations

Fairchild asserts new patents against Power Integrations

SAN FRANCISCO—Fairchild Semiconductor International Inc. said Tuesday (May 1) it filed new patent infringement claims in U.S. federal court against Power Integrations Inc.'s LinkSwitch-PH LED power conversion products.

Fairchild (San Jose, Calif.) said it asserted three new patents that extend its primary side regulation technology against Fairchild in the suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Delaware.

Last week, a jury in the same District Court found that Power Integrations products, including some LinkSwitch II and LinkSwitch-CV products, infringe on a Fairchild patent for primary side regulation technology. The same jury also found that several Fairchild products infringe upon two Power Integrations patents.

Fairchild said Tuesday it would seek an injunction preventing further infringement and is seeking financial damages. Willfulness and damages in that case will be determined in a second phase, which has yet to be scheduled and may occur after appeals of the first phase, Fairchild said.

TAG:Fairchild Semiconductor Power Integrations Patents Jury

Fairchild asserts new patents against Power Integrations

Fairchild asserts new patents against Power Integrations

SAN FRANCISCO—Fairchild Semiconductor International Inc. said Tuesday (May 1) it filed new patent infringement claims in U.S. federal court against Power Integrations Inc.'s LinkSwitch-PH LED power conversion products.

Fairchild (San Jose, Calif.) said it asserted three new patents that extend its primary side regulation technology against Fairchild in the suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Delaware.

Last week, a jury in the same District Court found that Power Integrations products, including some LinkSwitch II and LinkSwitch-CV products, infringe on a Fairchild patent for primary side regulation technology. The same jury also found that several Fairchild products infringe upon two Power Integrations patents.

Fairchild said Tuesday it would seek an injunction preventing further infringement and is seeking financial damages. Willfulness and damages in that case will be determined in a second phase, which has yet to be scheduled and may occur after appeals of the first phase, Fairchild said.

TAG:Fairchild Semiconductor Power Integrations Patents Jury

HGST, LSI, PMC-Sierra demo 12G SAS

HGST, LSI, PMC-Sierra demo 12G SAS

SAN JOSE – The HGST division of Western Digital demonstrated a solid-state disk drive with a 12 Gbit/second Serial Attached SCSI interface working with chips from LSI and PMC-Sierra. The tech demo represents another milestone in the roll out of the next generation storage interface.

The demo is an effort to get ahead of a Silicon Valley event next week where members of the SCSI Trade Association will publically show 12G SAS and other products. The fast SAS interface will compete with NVMe, a PCI Express interface expected to be used on a wide range of flash drives and components from vendors to emerge later this year.

HGST (formerly Hitachi Global Storage Technologies and now a Western Digital company) said its 12G SAS flash drive delivers twice the throughput of today’s 6G SAS products. Because SAS drives support two ports, the new product can deliver a total of 4.8GBytes/s per drive, the company said.

The demo showed the flash drive working with expanders from both LSI and PMC-Sierra. The STA expects this year to be one where initial 12G SAS products are launched with market adoption coming in 2013.

All the major storage interfaces, including SAS and serial ATA, are migrating to PCI Express transport in the future.
TAG:Solid State Drives 12G SAS Flash Drives PCI Express PMC Sierra SAS HGST LSI NVMe SATA

GlobalFoundries, Infineon, IBM, ST linked to Indian fab plan

GlobalFoundries, Infineon, IBM, ST linked to Indian fab plan

LONDON – More companies are being linked to the Indian government's plan to get one or more semiconductor wafer fabs constructed on the sub-continent. At least five chip companies have expressed an interest in supporting the project, according to a Hindu Business Line report.

The five are: GlobalFoundries, Infineon Technologies, STMicrolectronics, Russia's Sitronics JSC and a consortium comprising Jaypee Associates, IBM and Tower Semiconductor Ltd., the report said without naming sources. Sitronics is the parent of Mikron JSC (Zelenograd, Russia), Russia's leading manufacturer of ICs.

Tower (Migdal Haemek, Israel), which trades as TowerJazz, had declared its interest in working on a 300-mm fab project in India in February 2012 but not reveal its consortium partners at that time.

The Hindu Business Line report said that foundry Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC) and chip company Freescale Semiconductor Inc. had turned down the opportunity but that Intel has offered to provide advisory support.

"While Freescale and TSMC have declined the proposal, Intel has offered advisory support on infrastructure and financial matters related to semiconductor manufacturing," the report quoted an unnamed source as saying. GlobalFoundries has said it can offer know-how for 200-mm wafer processing and processor intellectual property, the report said.

The report added that Indian government has selected management consultancy Accenture plc (Dublin, Ireland) to draw up a business proposal that could be put to the firms. Companies will not commit to the project until they know how much financial support the Indian government will provide and in what forms. Wafer fabs around the world are usually built with local and national government support and the support tends to be highest for sites where there is no history of chip manufacturing.

The Indian government invited technology providers and investors to submit expressions of interest in setting up wafer fabs back in June 2011. In September 2011 it was reported that 11 companies had pitched to the Department of Information.

Many observers are skeptical of whether chip manufacturing at anywhere close to the leading-edge is a worthwhile strategy for India because wafer fabs can cost billions of dollars to set up and other locations, such as Taiwan, have established advantages. Nonetheless the Indian government has fostered the plan to set up chip local manufacturing as a means of easing a forthcoming balance of trade burden.

The government foresees exploding demand in India for consumer electronics which will be met by imports the country can ill-afford. Local chip manufacturing will not only offset those imports but, the government believes, bolster the growth of a manufacturing ecosystem from chips through software to systems.


Related links and articles:

Hindu Business Line report

News articles:

Tower bids to build 300-mm wafer fab in India

India wafer fab decision expected by end of 2012

Report: 11 firms pitch Indian wafer fabs

India starts hunt for fab-building chipmakers
TAG:Intel TSMC GlobalFoundries IBM Infineon ST STMicroelectronics wafer fab

GlobalFoundries, Infineon, IBM, ST linked to Indian fab plan

GlobalFoundries, Infineon, IBM, ST linked to Indian fab plan

LONDON – More companies are being linked to the Indian government's plan to get one or more semiconductor wafer fabs constructed on the sub-continent. At least five chip companies have expressed an interest in supporting the project, according to a Hindu Business Line report.

The five are: GlobalFoundries, Infineon Technologies, STMicrolectronics, Russia's Sitronics JSC and a consortium comprising Jaypee Associates, IBM and Tower Semiconductor Ltd., the report said without naming sources. Sitronics is the parent of Mikron JSC (Zelenograd, Russia), Russia's leading manufacturer of ICs.

Tower (Migdal Haemek, Israel), which trades as TowerJazz, had declared its interest in working on a 300-mm fab project in India in February 2012 but not reveal its consortium partners at that time.

The Hindu Business Line report said that foundry Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC) and chip company Freescale Semiconductor Inc. had turned down the opportunity but that Intel has offered to provide advisory support.

"While Freescale and TSMC have declined the proposal, Intel has offered advisory support on infrastructure and financial matters related to semiconductor manufacturing," the report quoted an unnamed source as saying. GlobalFoundries has said it can offer know-how for 200-mm wafer processing and processor intellectual property, the report said.

The report added that Indian government has selected management consultancy Accenture plc (Dublin, Ireland) to draw up a business proposal that could be put to the firms. Companies will not commit to the project until they know how much financial support the Indian government will provide and in what forms. Wafer fabs around the world are usually built with local and national government support and the support tends to be highest for sites where there is no history of chip manufacturing.

The Indian government invited technology providers and investors to submit expressions of interest in setting up wafer fabs back in June 2011. In September 2011 it was reported that 11 companies had pitched to the Department of Information.

Many observers are skeptical of whether chip manufacturing at anywhere close to the leading-edge is a worthwhile strategy for India because wafer fabs can cost billions of dollars to set up and other locations, such as Taiwan, have established advantages. Nonetheless the Indian government has fostered the plan to set up chip local manufacturing as a means of easing a forthcoming balance of trade burden.

The government foresees exploding demand in India for consumer electronics which will be met by imports the country can ill-afford. Local chip manufacturing will not only offset those imports but, the government believes, bolster the growth of a manufacturing ecosystem from chips through software to systems.


Related links and articles:

Hindu Business Line report

News articles:

Tower bids to build 300-mm wafer fab in India

India wafer fab decision expected by end of 2012

Report: 11 firms pitch Indian wafer fabs

India starts hunt for fab-building chipmakers
TAG:Intel TSMC GlobalFoundries IBM Infineon ST STMicroelectronics wafer fab

Libelium lists 50 Internet of Things (IoT) applications

Libelium lists 50 Internet of Things (IoT) applications

LONDON – Libelium, a supplier of wireless sensor nodes, has produced a list of more than 50 sensor applications that will help drive the Internet of Things (IoT) and wireless sensor networks (WSNs).

Libelium Comunicaciones Distribuidas SL (Zaragoza, Spain) estmates that more than 50 billion devices will be able to connect to the Internet by 2020 and the majority of these will do so without any human agency involved.

The connectivity has already started, Libelium said, and to give people an idea of where the IoT revolution is taking place the company has listed 54 Internet of Things applications grouped by 12 vertical markets. The list is part of a 38-page document that describes approaches to implementing the applications, Libelium products and case studies.

The groupings include: urban and remote environments, agriculture and farming, water quality, metering, security and emergencies, retail, logistics, industrial control, domestic automation and e-health. Each grouping has multiple specific sensor applications that could be used for monitoring and triggering preventative action.

"Now we are able to collect data everywhere from our environment, infrastructures, businesses and even ourselves, and this huge amount of information is generating a new ecosystem of business opportunities around its storage, analysis and accessibility," said Alicia Asin. "We want this document to inspire people and companies with all the opportunities around the Internet of Things era.” she added.


Related links and articles:

http://www.libelium.com/top_50_iot_sensor_applications_ranking

www.libelium.com

News articles:

Libelium offers e-learning platform for ZigBee sensor networks

Traffic monitoring system uses Bluetooth sensors over ZigBee

Smart parking sensor platform helps motorists save fuel


TAG:Internet of Things wireless sensor networks Alicia Asin Libelium IoT applications list

Libelium lists 50 Internet of Things (IoT) applications

Libelium lists 50 Internet of Things (IoT) applications

LONDON – Libelium, a supplier of wireless sensor nodes, has produced a list of more than 50 sensor applications that will help drive the Internet of Things (IoT) and wireless sensor networks (WSNs).

Libelium Comunicaciones Distribuidas SL (Zaragoza, Spain) estmates that more than 50 billion devices will be able to connect to the Internet by 2020 and the majority of these will do so without any human agency involved.

The connectivity has already started, Libelium said, and to give people an idea of where the IoT revolution is taking place the company has listed 54 Internet of Things applications grouped by 12 vertical markets. The list is part of a 38-page document that describes approaches to implementing the applications, Libelium products and case studies.

The groupings include: urban and remote environments, agriculture and farming, water quality, metering, security and emergencies, retail, logistics, industrial control, domestic automation and e-health. Each grouping has multiple specific sensor applications that could be used for monitoring and triggering preventative action.

"Now we are able to collect data everywhere from our environment, infrastructures, businesses and even ourselves, and this huge amount of information is generating a new ecosystem of business opportunities around its storage, analysis and accessibility," said Alicia Asin. "We want this document to inspire people and companies with all the opportunities around the Internet of Things era.” she added.


Related links and articles:

http://www.libelium.com/top_50_iot_sensor_applications_ranking

www.libelium.com

News articles:

Libelium offers e-learning platform for ZigBee sensor networks

Traffic monitoring system uses Bluetooth sensors over ZigBee

Smart parking sensor platform helps motorists save fuel


TAG:Internet of Things wireless sensor networks Alicia Asin Libelium IoT applications list

LDK Solar has cut more than 5,000 jobs this year

LDK Solar has cut more than 5,000 jobs this year

SAN FRANCISCO—More evidence of the trouble facing the solar industry as subsidies dry up and intense competition continues: An executive for LDK Solar Co. Ltd. said Monday (April 30) that the photovoltaic panel manufacturer has cut more than 5,000 jobs so far this year.

In a conference call with analysts following a quarterly report in which LDK disclosed that chalked up a net loss of nearly $590 million in the fourth quarter of 2011, Jack Lai, the company's chief financial officer, said the company's most recent headcount shows LDK with 19,495 employees, 5,254 less than it had at the end of 2011.

LDK's headcount is down about 9,078 less from a high of 28,273 in July 2011, Lai said.

Lai said LDK implemented strategies to optimize its organization structure, increase productivity and align production plan with labor requirements, increasing productivity and operational efficiency. "We are essentially right sizing our production output in order to build a sustainable capacity with redundant scale to match our customers demand," Lai said.

Hamstrung by competition and decreasing demand, solar panel firms have in recent months shed thousands of jobs. Most recently, First Solar Inc. said earlier this month it would slash about 2,000 jobs and close manufacturing lines as part of a restructuring plan to reduce costs.

LDK (Xinyu City, China) reported net sales of $420.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2011, down 11 percent from the third quarter and down 54 percent from the year-ago quarter. The company reported a net loss for the quarter of $588.7 million, compared to a net loss of $114.5 million in the previous quarter and a net income of $145.2 million in the year-ago quarter.

LDK's sales for the fourth quarter came in below consensus analysts' expectations, which called for revenue of about $431 million, according to Yahoo Finance.

LDK, which postponed releasing its fourth quarter results, predicted that sales would fall even more in the first quarter of 2012, which closed last month. The company said its revenue for the first quarter was between $190 million and $230 million, well below consensus analysts' expectations of around $397 million, according to Yahoo Finance. For fiscal 2012, the company estimates that its sales would be between $2 billion and $2.7 billion.

"The solar industry experienced a tremendous supply and demand imbalance throughout the value chain during the fourth quarter," said Xiaofeng Peng, LDK's chairman and CEO, in a statement. "Our results reflected the negative effects of this dislocation in the PV market. Weak market demand and rapidly declining average selling prices reduced our revenue and adversely impacted our margins in the quarter."

Peng said LDK expected excess capacity and further policy uncertainty in Europe and the U.S. to drag on solar sales in 2012. He said LDK remains focused on driving down its cost structure and production costs.


TAG:LDK Solar Jobs

春季艺术品拍卖会漆画遭热捧 寿山石半数流拍

春季艺术品拍卖会漆画遭热捧 寿山石半数流拍

　　本报讯(记者 黄怡 林启星 刘兴)中国工艺美术大师郑益坤先生的漆画作品《鱼趣》经过10轮叫价，从25万元底价一路攀升到35万元成交，成为今年福州春拍的小高潮。昨日，在由福建省收藏家协会主办的“2012年春季艺术品精品拍卖会”上，寿山石、木雕作品均遭冷遇，半数寿山石作品流拍，而拍卖会前最引人关注的漆画作品不负众望，拍出了一些惊喜。

　　中国工艺美术大师郑益坤先生的漆画作品《鱼趣》，是此次漆画拍卖作品中最受关注的，据业内人士介绍，郑益坤的金鱼，目前市场行情是“五六万一尾”，颇有点当年白石卖虾的味道。《鱼趣》的拍卖底价为25万元，最后以35万元成交，画上一共3尾金鱼，算起来，每尾身价超过10万元。

　　主办方表示，新一轮市场调整将更多的投资资金引流向处于价值洼地的新投资门类，漆艺稳步上扬的行情正是其价值回归的有力表现。

　　这次拍卖会上，老中青三代漆艺代表作齐集，其中中国工艺美术大师郑修钤先生的漆画作品《百合》以8万元成交，实力派漆画家俞峥、程德龙、吴思东等的作品也纷纷拍出，其中程德龙的《小荷》以起拍价1.75倍的价格成交。

　　然而新一轮的市场调整却让寿山石不复去年秋拍的盛景。此次春拍，约有半数寿山石拍品流拍，万元上下的寿山石小手件较受欢迎，程由军的《寿星摆件》以22万元成交，成为此次春拍中寿山石拍品的最高成交价。

　　主办方表示，由于今年上半年寿山石市场行情走低，已经预计到春拍可能会遇冷。现场成交的寿山石作品基本以底价拍出，有业内人士预计，下半年寿山石市场行情有可能再度上扬，选择此时将寿山石作品收入囊中，也是不错的选择。

> 相关专题：

• 2012春拍：进退维谷

TAG:春季艺术品拍卖会漆画遭热捧 寿山石半数流拍

寿山石展品最重达3.8吨

寿山石展品最重达3.8吨

　　在一楼的中心精品展馆，展示着一块重达3.8吨的寿山石。这块寿山石上雕有英雄纪念碑、中国鼎及中国地区等数十种元素，是展馆最重的展品。

　　“当时在朋友那一眼看上，就直接买了。”展商林德锋说，石头买回来后，很长一段时间他都不知道该对其如何设计。

　　“好作品都是聊出来的。”林德锋认为，这样一块颜色丰富的石头，将中国所有元素都在上面展现，一方面寓意很好，另一方面又不浪费石头每一角落。最终，这块石头经过3年时间，圆满“变身”。

TAG:寿山石展品最重达3 8吨

田黄每克五万是否仍有升值空间

田黄每克五万是否仍有升值空间

《皆大欢喜》(田黄石雕)林霖。 《寿山石套章》郭祥麒。 《春溪即景》(田黄)石卿。

　　“一两田黄三两金。”清代的这种说法到了今天已经过时，因为现在一两田黄(寿山田黄)远远不止“三两金”——上乘田黄每克动辄达五六万元，甚至更高。田黄近10年来的身价狂飙，让另外一种有着悠久文化底蕴的“疯狂石头”——和田玉都望尘莫及。于是，问题就来了：什么原因让田黄如此疯狂？田黄价格暴涨是否为不正常的市场炒作？如果不是炒作，那么藏家高价位买入的田黄是否还有升值空间？下面，我们就来听听相关专家的说法。

　　专题文、图/吴聿立

　　林霖(福建省工艺美术大师)：

　　柔而易攻翡翠难敌

　　用“物以稀为贵”来解释当今田黄“天价”的原因最为合适。田黄在寿山石品种中属于稀缺的珍贵品种，加上近几年来政府先后出台了种种政策，对寿山石以及田黄的资源进行保护，使得市面上的田黄越来越稀缺。另外，近年来中国艺术品市场的火爆，也让寿山石市场活跃起来，而作为其珍贵品种的田黄的价格自然也水涨船高了。目前，就一级市场的成交量来看，田黄仅次于白玉和翡翠，但由于总存量远远小于前两者，所以市场热度要高得多，换手率也频繁得多，价格一路走高。

　　黄色在中国传统文化中最为尊贵并具有神秘色彩，为皇室与宗教专用。田黄，是寿山石中的珍品，具备细、洁、润、腻、温、凝之印石“六德”，明、清两朝均被当作贡品献入皇宫，被雕刻成御用的玺印及艺术摆件，为皇家和显贵专宠，并成为清朝祭天专用的“国石”。康熙、雍正、乾隆三帝最为钟爱田黄，而末代皇帝溥仪捐献给国家的“乾隆田黄三连章”的曲折故事，更是让田黄名闻天下，身价剧增。在“四大国石”(福建寿山石、浙江青田石、昌化鸡血石和内蒙古巴林石)中，唯有田黄具有如此的待遇，故称之为“石中之王”，被民间奉为“石帝”。

　　从雕刻艺术的角度讲，田黄之与和田玉和翡翠，后两者颜色单一、纹理较粗、色泽不够温和。而田黄的色泽以纯黄为主，亦有少数呈红、白、黑等色调，色泽往往外浓而向内渐淡，表层常裹淡黄或灰、黑色石皮，间有红色格纹。寿山石雕艺术有着一千五百多年的历史，最大的特点就是能利用石料的天然色泽，雕刻出造型和色泽相适应的作品。田黄石雕也不例外。同时，田黄柔而易攻的特性，为雕刻家提供了更多发挥的空间，这是硬度较高的和田玉和翡翠所不可比拟的。有人说，云南龙陵的“黄龙玉”无论刻章还是做摆件都优于田黄。这种说法我不赞同。其实，“黄龙玉”是玉雕行业中的一种新兴玉石，其色泽、外皮跟田黄有些相像，但是“黄龙玉”比田黄硬度(摩氏硬度为2.5)高，其摩氏硬度达到6.5～7。因此，从雕刻的难易程度来看，不论刻章还是雕刻成摆件，“黄龙玉”都难敌田黄。另外，从色泽、肌理、温润度、细腻感等方面衡量，“黄龙玉”与田黄也有一定的差距。目前，“黄龙玉”最大的短板就是现世时间太短，文化底蕴不足——这一点和田黄是不可同日而语的。所以，田黄比“黄龙玉”更受宝玉石爱好者的欢迎。

　　在我看来，不仅是田黄，整个寿山石市场今后都有较大的升值空间。社会的进步和经济的发展，使国人的文化品位不断提升。从目前的情况和发展趋势来看，寿山石的总体价格肯定也是向上走的，只是涨势由前一段时间的快速增长，转为有序、理性地持续增长，而不同层次、不同品质的寿山石的涨幅也有所区别——越是高端的精品涨势越强，因为高端品质的寿山石资源稀缺，商家只要卖出去，就很难补充货源，卖一块少一块。随着未来收藏队伍的扩大，高端寿山石将出现缺货的迹象。其中，质地上乘、工艺精湛、名家名作的田黄更是具备很大的升值空间。

　　陈汶俤(中华百年老字号青芝田第24代传人)

　　好石难求升价难挡

　　2000年到2005年，田黄的价格平稳增长。从2006年起，随着中国经济的快速发展，田黄的价格年年都在攀升。现如今，好的寿山田黄每克已经达到了两万元，这相对于前几年每克2000~5000元的价格已是翻几番了；一块完整的寿山田黄雕件，如果质优色纯，又出自名家之手，基本每克达到了5万，甚至更高的价位。尽管如此，田黄的价格仍有上升的空间，因为好石难求。

　　田黄的价格为何这么高呢？原因有很多，但产量稀少、好石难觅是其主要原因。田黄在全世界只有我国福建寿山的一块不到一平方公里的田中出产，是寿山石中的珍品，产量本来就极低，而且经过数百年的不断挖掘，到目前为止，已挖掘殆尽。历代挖掘的田黄能流传至今的，无论质地好坏都已成为稀世珍品。同时，优质的田黄基本都在收藏家手中，极少流传于市面，故田黄极品价格长久不下且不断上扬。其次，田黄价格高涨也和市场某些过度包装和炒作有关，我们不得不承认其中存在些泡沫，因为田黄在收购市场上很难买到原石，许多藏家如果得一块田黄，都视之为“宝物”；或者自己喜欢，不舍得卖的，于是往高里喊价的情况就出现了。

　　田黄当今价格高涨，还有一个重要的原因是其蕴含的历史文化价值。早在一千多年前，我国已有人开始采集，到了明清两代，田黄更是盛名于世，许多达官显贵、文人雅士竞相收集。史载：清时福建巡抚用一整块上等田黄雕刻的“三连章”，被乾隆皇帝奉之为至宝，清室代代相传；咸丰帝临终时，赐予慈禧一方田黄御玺；末代皇朝解体，溥仪不要所有珍宝，只将那枚“三连章”缝在棉衣里。还有，民间相传田黄是女娲补天时遗留在人间的宝石，又说是凤凰鸟蛋所变，还传田黄可驱灾避邪，藏田黄者能益寿延年等，这些都给田黄蒙上了许多神秘色彩，故田黄一直是收藏家梦寐以求的至宝，盛名不衰，身价倍增。而文人学士认为，收藏或使用以“石中之王”为材质的印章，较珠宝、翡翠材质的印章更高雅、更有品位。

　　田黄目前虽然价格高昂，但我认为其升值空间还是有的，因为田黄矿的田坑已不复存在，源头已经殆尽，加上从古至今存量极为稀少，而挖掘不易，好石难寻，即便有田黄原石被挖出也多不成型，少数大材者也屈指可数，故田黄的矜贵非一般宝石可相媲美。此外，田黄的“天价”只是针对一些极品田黄而言的，很多优质的田黄这几年价格都较为平稳，每克基本在八千至两万元之间，值得收藏，因为田黄好石原本不多，买一块就少一块。

　　王春云(著名宝玉石学者)：

　　黄玉髓刻章、雕件胜过田黄

　　田黄在清代以前的中国一直不甚值钱，即使到了明代与皇权有了联系，也仅是作为拥有奇效的粉末用来治病。到了清代，田黄身价陡然百倍。而自2008年以来，田黄价格又突然发力，迅速飙升，宣传的市场价格竟达到了每克五六万甚至一二十万元。个人认为：近四五年货币加速贬值、资源稀缺、商家超越底线的炒作(比如虚假宣传和虚假拍卖等)等，对于田黄市场起到了不可忽视的推波助澜的作用。此外，消费者对于田黄的认识水平较低，有关田黄的学术研究成果不能得到很好的普及，这些也是田黄价格飞涨的重要因素。

　　自上两个世纪以来，田黄一直被称为“石帝”、“诸石之王”。这有个来历：传说是乾隆一日梦见玉皇大帝给他赐书“福、寿、田”三字，臣下果然在福建寿山找到田黄，于是以田黄在每年元旦祭天，并雕刻印章，而田黄也被喻为“上天所赐”，象征“多福多寿，王土广袤”，这刚好可以宣传大清江山为上天所赐，也契合“普天之下，莫非王土；率土之滨，莫非王臣”的统治思想。但这个传说并无文史证据作支撑，估计可能是清代到民国时期贩卖田黄的商人的一种一厢情愿的猜想。

　　作为中国历史上最有名的收藏家，乾隆皇帝喜欢田黄也是有名的，他先后用田黄雕刻了组印“乾隆御笔”、“所宝惟贤”、“德日新”，也雕刻了小印“信天主人”、“长寿书屋”、“三希堂”等。但我们应该正视的一个事实是：这些都是乾隆的闲章，是自娱自乐用的，不能像他亲自审定的二十五玺一样上升到朝堂和国家法度专用的高度。此外，北京故宫(微博)博物院现藏的乾隆皇帝三连章，是用一块整石经过精细加工，提出3条石链，每链采一方石印，分别镌刻“乾隆宸翰”、“惟精惟一”、“乐天”印文。人们普遍相信：这章就是用田黄雕刻的，故宫的文物说明文字也是这么写的。大家知道，没有国家文物局的批文，文博系统以外的学者是无法上手仔细观摩和测试其制材的，而只能相信故宫博物院的官方说法。于是，“乾隆田黄三连章”成就了田黄作为“石中皇帝”的美名，田黄因此迷倒了一代又一代的中国文化人、官员、商人和自然历史学者。但是，这套乾隆三连章是1950年溥仪捐献的，北京故宫方面并没有提供宝石学鉴定证据，也没有提供宝石学鉴定证书，甚至连正规的文物材料鉴定程序和鉴定证书也没有，怎么就成了想当然的田黄制品了呢？

　　在货币快速贬值的今天，红宝、蓝宝、祖母绿、钻石、猫眼、翡翠和欧珀等珍贵宝石升值速度也很快，这是符合经济学规律的，因为这些宝石之所以珍贵，是因为它们与别的宝石相比，宝石学性质更为突出，即更为美丽、更为耐久和更为稀罕。如果把价格暴涨的田黄和这些珍稀宝石放在一起比较的话，我想：田黄属于低档玉石，无论是美丽方面(如颜色、光泽、水头、质地等)、耐久方面(如硬度、韧性等)还是稀罕方面，都与以上珍贵宝石不可同日而语。别说这些高档宝玉石了，田黄至少在硬度、韧性方面连印度尼西亚产的金色方解石都不如，更不如云南龙陵产的黄玉髓(“黄龙玉”)。因此，田黄在藏石界的地位，无论就刻章还是做摆件而言，都逊于“黄龙玉”。

　　寿山田黄辨真

　　六大标准——

　　在当今炽热的艺术品市场中，利益驱使的造假已是见怪不怪的现象，而价格不菲的田黄也在劫难逃。田黄自从由母矿中分裂出来而后藏于田间，其间历经了数百万年之久，在特殊环境和条件下，田黄逐渐改变它原来的形态、色彩和质地，出现了其独具的外观特征。归纳起来，我们可以从石形、石质、石色、石皮和萝卜纹、红筋等六方面来鉴别真伪。

　　石形：田黄的外形多呈卵石状，光嫩圆滑，没有明显的棱角。这是由于矿块在迁移滚动过程中，受到溪水不断冲刷研磨的结果。

　　石质：田黄的质地湿润可爱，为微透明或半透明体。如果仔细观察，会焕发出一种其他石材品种所不具备的迷人光彩。

　　石色：尽管田黄按色相来区分，有田黄、白田、红田、黑田以及银裹金、金裹银等品种，但无论什么色彩的田黄都是以黄色为基调。比如“红田石”其色近橙黄如桔皮，但绝不可能出现桃红、朱红和血红的色彩；“黑田石”则黑中带赭；即使是被称作“白田”的田黄，也并非纯白如雪，而是白中稍带淡黄或蛋清色。

　　石皮：多数田黄的外表都有黄色或黑色的皮层包裹着，或厚或薄，或全裹，或稀疏挂皮，形态变幻无常，也有一些田黄因为色皮极薄，一经雕刻打磨即被清除。需要指出的是：田黄的颜色都不是表里如一的，通常是由表皮向里层逐渐转淡，乃至泛白。

　　萝卜纹：在强烈的光线下观察，凡是透明度较强的田黄，肌理往往隐约可见一条条细而密的纹理，其形状犹如刚出土的白萝卜纤维，故有“萝卜纹”之称。

　　红筋：红筋是指田黄表层偶尔出现的红色筋络，红如血，细如丝，俗称“红筋”，又叫“血丝”。它是田黄在迁移过程中产生的细裂纹，经土壤中氧化铁渗透而形成的格纹。

　　四项注意——

　　以上是田黄鉴定的基本常识。当然，具体问题还要具体分析，如在众多文字中都提到的“无皮不成田、无丝不成田、无格不成田”的说法是不准确的。

　　1.古人重德次孚，因此古时的田黄石皮都被视为杂质，古董田黄作品都是不带皮的，所以田黄有无石皮不作为鉴定的硬标准，仅作为参考。

　　2.许多田黄纹理上肌理带有萝卜纹，但是有萝卜纹的不一定是田黄。例如寿山石的荔枝冻、水洞等都带有萝卜丝纹；许多精品田黄，例如黄金黄田、橘皮红田都不一定带有萝卜丝纹路。

　　3.红筋是田黄的天然瑕疵，无格无裂是田黄极品。“无格不成田”这一说也只供参考，不作鉴定标准。

　　4.现在，许多鉴定机构把石头的成分是否主要为地开石作为田黄鉴定的依据，这也是不准确的，因为不是只有寿山石的主要成分为地开石。

　　另外，鉴别寿山田黄，还需要日积月累的丰富经验，需经常上手把玩，见得多也能知晓一二；遇到自己拿不准的石头，最好请专家帮忙鉴定，谨防上当受骗。

TAG:田黄每克五万是否仍有升值空间

网购翡翠有风险 出手需谨慎

网购翡翠有风险 出手需谨慎

　　在网上购买翡翠手镯，虽然单价要比专柜划算很多，但如果买“打眼”了的话，即使便宜，也还是要赔钱的，不仅买来的宝贝不能“养眼”，还会“堵心”。

　　翡翠的鉴定是鉴赏、收藏或者投资的准备工作，也是最基础的。首先要辨别真伪，知道哪些玉石容易和翡翠混淆。市场上常见的翡翠替代品有绿色和田玉、绿色素面祖母绿、绿色绿松石、绿色料器等多种玉石，容易和翡翠相混淆的和田玉是已抛光的碧玉，颜色分布比翡翠均匀，重量比翡翠轻；绿色绿松石质地较密，透明度完全比不上翡翠，而且会有明显的“黑线”；和翡翠看上去相似的是质量不高的半透明祖母绿，它的颜色分布均匀，没有色根。

　　再有，要粗略地了解翡翠的A货、B货、C货。A货是天然的翡翠，B货是经过漂白和充填处理的翡翠，C货经过了染色程序。漂白充填过的B货翡翠结构受到破坏，填充的胶质固结物经过一段时间后会发生老化现象，翡翠的光泽、颜色、水头等都会发生变化，并且耐久性差。C货染色翡翠可以利用放大镜观察颜色分布，由于染料沿颗粒或裂隙进入翡翠，所以看到染色后的翡翠颜色呈丝网状分布，如果在较大的绺裂中可见染料的沉淀或聚集，基本就可以判定货品是C货翡翠了。

　　但是B货C货的翡翠也不能够被列入“假货”的行列，虽然它们经过了后期的人工处理，但只要销售过程中销售人员能够如实告知，不隐瞒翡翠经过的处理，做到一分钱一分货就没有问题。

　　虽然目前在各大网站上都有翡翠饰品的销售，但翡翠是高价商品，往往要确认实物才能对货品有所了解，而鉴定书也不能作为唯一的依据。因此，真正喜欢佩戴、收藏的顾客，最好选择有规模、有信誉的网站，并且千万选择货到付款的支付方式，无论买高、中、低价位的翡翠饰品，不要凭借网站上的几张配图而“慷慨解囊”。

　　实习生 刘璐

TAG:网购翡翠有风险 出手需谨慎

Smart memory seen as cure for user-interface bottlenecks

Smart memory seen as cure for user-interface bottlenecks

PORTLAND, Ore.—Next-generation augmented reality displays will employ smart-recognition of their users that melds context-sensitive voice-and-gesture commands with total-surrounding awareness of other people, places and things, according to John Kispert, CEO of Spansion Inc., who gave the keynote address at the Globalpress Electronics Summit 2012 last week. But smart memory will be needed to wean these advanced user-interfaces off cloud connectivity dependence, Kispert said.

"The bottleneck to next-generation user interfaces is local memory," said Kispert. "The most advanced user-interfaces user cloud-assets to first recognize their user with facial recognition, then adjust the context by switching preferences and augmented-reality displays that are aware of a user's surroundings."

However, in the future, according to Kispert, local memory assets will substitute for cloud-based connectivity so that context-aware augmented-reality displays react faster and do not have to be online to function properly. The Hansen Report on Automotive Electronics (January 2012), for instance, cited sluggish response of cloud-based user-interfaces as the number one complaint of automobile users. Likewise, advanced voice-based user-interfaces such as Apple's Speech Interpretation and Recognition Interface (Siri) requires wireless cloud-access to work and still only provide response times measured in seconds. Local memory assets, on the other hand, can provide context-aware augmented-reality displays that not only recognize their user in milliseconds, but also provide instant recognition of the other people, places and things in the immediate surroundings.

"User-interface convergence today has eliminated the need for manuals and instructions--people just know how things work," said Kispert. "But head-up displays, recognition algorithms and context switching needs to be able to rely on local memory to work well regardless of whether wireless cloud assess are available or not."

Not surprisingly, Spansion specializes in the NOR flash memories that provide nonvolatile configuration assets to modern user interfaces, which Kispert claims will be critical to weaning context-aware augmented-reality interfaces off exclusive dependence on cloud-based assets. By storing the information that allows devices to recognize their user, switch contexts, and recognize the other people, places and things in a user's surroundings, next-generation high-density NOR flash will solve the memory bottleneck that makes cloud-based augmented-reality user interfaces sluggish, according to Kilpert, resulting in safer, more secure displays that superimpose relevant tactical information in realtime.


User interfaces have evolved from keyboard and mouse to user-aware voice control, but need smarter memory to make the jump to augmented-reality displays that don't depend on cloud connectivity. (Click on image to enlarge.)


TAG:User Interface NOR Flash Augmented Reality Heads Up Display EETimes NextGenLog Electronics

Smart memory seen as cure for user-interface bottlenecks

Smart memory seen as cure for user-interface bottlenecks

PORTLAND, Ore.—Next-generation augmented reality displays will employ smart-recognition of their users that melds context-sensitive voice-and-gesture commands with total-surrounding awareness of other people, places and things, according to John Kispert, CEO of Spansion Inc., who gave the keynote address at the Globalpress Electronics Summit 2012 last week. But smart memory will be needed to wean these advanced user-interfaces off cloud connectivity dependence, Kispert said.

"The bottleneck to next-generation user interfaces is local memory," said Kispert. "The most advanced user-interfaces user cloud-assets to first recognize their user with facial recognition, then adjust the context by switching preferences and augmented-reality displays that are aware of a user's surroundings."

However, in the future, according to Kispert, local memory assets will substitute for cloud-based connectivity so that context-aware augmented-reality displays react faster and do not have to be online to function properly. The Hansen Report on Automotive Electronics (January 2012), for instance, cited sluggish response of cloud-based user-interfaces as the number one complaint of automobile users. Likewise, advanced voice-based user-interfaces such as Apple's Speech Interpretation and Recognition Interface (Siri) requires wireless cloud-access to work and still only provide response times measured in seconds. Local memory assets, on the other hand, can provide context-aware augmented-reality displays that not only recognize their user in milliseconds, but also provide instant recognition of the other people, places and things in the immediate surroundings.

"User-interface convergence today has eliminated the need for manuals and instructions--people just know how things work," said Kispert. "But head-up displays, recognition algorithms and context switching needs to be able to rely on local memory to work well regardless of whether wireless cloud assess are available or not."

Not surprisingly, Spansion specializes in the NOR flash memories that provide nonvolatile configuration assets to modern user interfaces, which Kispert claims will be critical to weaning context-aware augmented-reality interfaces off exclusive dependence on cloud-based assets. By storing the information that allows devices to recognize their user, switch contexts, and recognize the other people, places and things in a user's surroundings, next-generation high-density NOR flash will solve the memory bottleneck that makes cloud-based augmented-reality user interfaces sluggish, according to Kilpert, resulting in safer, more secure displays that superimpose relevant tactical information in realtime.


User interfaces have evolved from keyboard and mouse to user-aware voice control, but need smarter memory to make the jump to augmented-reality displays that don't depend on cloud connectivity. (Click on image to enlarge.)


TAG:User Interface NOR Flash Augmented Reality Heads Up Display EETimes NextGenLog Electronics

Java's father says Oracle is “in the right”

Java's father says Oracle is “in the right”

SAN JOSE – I recall the first time I heard someone in a tutorial describing the Dalvik virtual machine in Android. I scratched my head wondering what this strangely named thing was all about.

Now it’s clear. Google lacked a Java license from Sun Microsystems (now part of Oracle). So it forged ahead with a slightly modified version of the technology.

Now the whole software world is waiting to see what comes out of the Oracle vs. Google patent infringement suit. I put out my predictions recently.

But today an interesting wrinkle in the debate bubbled up when James Gosling publically came out in favor of Oracle in the suit, with some unstated reservations. Gosling's comments are in effect a de facto judgement from the tech community, whatever courts someday decide. There’s a great debate on the issue at Gosling's blog.

Gosling is credited as being the father of Java at Sun. He was not only a key engineer behind the software, but Sun made him the jovial public face of Java at its events, flinging Java T-shirts to the vast crowd, sometimes with an air cannon.

Even back in those days Java was a troubled child. Various OEMs contorted it this way and that to fit into their pre-smartphone handsets, set top boxes and other systems. Interoperability was virtually non-existent in the tangle of loosely confederated Java specs.

I give Sun credit for developing the technology and trying to make it open. In the course of trying to herd the cats, Java just got away from them.

For better or worse, Google has created a more stable and relatively more interoperable alternative with Android by marrying Linux and Java-like technology both as a native environment and as a virtual machine platform. Android is less open than Java was under Sun, but much more of a unified market force in the face of a dozen variants of mobile Linux.

Yes, Google has an awful lot of power these days--enough to attract well-staffed investigations on two continents. Ah capitalism!


At Sun, Gosling let Java loose on the world, but it got away.

TAG:Oracle Vs Google James Gosling Patent Infringment Java Android Mobile Software Patents Gosling